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5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Discussion of Physicalism, March 4, 2011
This review is from: Physicalism (New Problems of Philosophy) (Paperback)
I have considered myself a Physicalist through and through for a long while now, which is why I picked up this book by Professor Daniel Stoljar. Before having read much about Physicalism, I thought that pretty much everyone serious about Science would also be a Physicalist; I was wrong however. I never knew that there were such difficulties defining what Physicalism is, or what it encompasses. Professor Stoljar states, "As I see it, the literature on these matters [on physicalism] is dominated by two loud and opposing voices. The first, that of the skeptic, accepts that there is no true genuine version of physicalism, and draws a negative consequence for the standard picture and indeed for large parts of philosophy itself. The second, that of the true believer, takes it to be obvious that the standard picture is legitimate, and looks around for a thesis of physicalism that can play the role assigned to it by that person." Professor Stoljar goes on to delineate between three views of Physicalism (the Starting Point View, the Theory View, and the Necessity View), he also discusses Hempel's Dilemma, as well as various alternatives to Physicalism, such as Idealism, `Property' Dualism, Coherentism, and an interesting idea that Stoljar calls Naturalistic Platonism. Stoljar states in the Introduction that, "The view I arrive at by the end of the book is a kind of `bad news/ good news' view. The bad news is that the skeptics about the formulation of physicalism are right: physicalism has no formulation on which it is both true and deserving of the name. The good news is that this does not have the catastrophic effects on philosophy that it is often portrayed as having in the literature." Here are the eleven chapters that comprise the volume: 1) The Standard Picture, 2) Form and Alternatives, 3) The Starting Point View, 4) The Theory View, 5) Hempel's Dilemma, 6) The Necessity View, 7) Is Necessitation Necessary?, 8) Is Necessitation Sufficient? 9) Skeptics and True Believers, 10) Arguments Against Physicalism, and 11) Arguments for Physicalism.
In conclusion, I don't necessarily agree with the way Professor Stoljar has presented the argument, but that's my problem, not his. In fact, he is quite forthcoming in the Introduction when he states: "...at this point it is worth issuing a word of warning about the discussions to follow. This is that while I certainly take myself to be a reliable narrator. I am not an unopinionated one. And my opinions have certainly affected how I present the issues, what I think is plausible and not plausible and so on. Whether my opinions are correct or not is a matter about which you will have to make up your own mind. My best advice - though here again I am being opinionated! - is to follow up the readings I have suggested at the end of each chapter (and the references contained in those readings) and, even more importantly, to think through the issues yourself." This is good advice, even if it easier said than done! At any rate, if you enjoy science and philosophy like I do, then reading this book should be well worth your time and attention. Lastly, I would recommend reading,
The Waning of Materialism, and
The Blind Spot: Science and the Crisis of Uncertainty, to develop a more well-rounded view of what Physicalism is.
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